A section of Dublin’s longest off-road cycle path is to be used again for coach and bus parking for the Coldplay concert this evening at Croke Park — people cycling will be put onto the busy Alfie Byrne Road for “safety reasons”.

On its ‘Transport for Ireland’ Twitter account, the National Transport Authority said that the closure is for “safety reasons”, but were unable to respond to questions the time of the closure, directing people to the the Gardai and Dublin City Council, who organised the closure of the cycle path but did not respond to questions sent to them on Thursday.

National Transport Authority said: “Hi folks, the cycle lane on Alfie Byrne Road will be suspended pre and post #coldplay #CrokePark concert on Saturday for safety reasons.” And added: “Hi, this closure is in the traffic management plan for events in #CrokePark. @DubCityCouncil or @GardaTraffic can advise times. Thanks”.

Both the Gardai and the city council have yet to explain under what legal framework is the closure taking place.

We asked the Gardai how can it support the closure of a cycle track when larger sections of the road have two general lanes which could be used for parking of coaches.

While we asked the council: given that this is not the first time the city council has closed this cycle path has the council undertaken any formal road safety audit on the issue of (1) buses mounting kerbs to the footpath/cycle path level and putting cyclists onto a roadway well known for speeding.

We will post responses if we get them or seek them under the Freedom of Information Acts.

Quite unacceptable decision-making by the road authority and the Traffic Corps. People who cycle need all the protection that can be mustered so deliberately choosing to solve traffic management issues at events by rendering cycling infrastructure unusable is no longer acceptable.
It illustrates once again that cyclists don’t count in this city when the chips are down.
My grandsons were at Croke Park for the concert and had considered cycling there but I advised their father not to go this way.

I found this decision so deflating. Not only do authorities consistently fail to protect cycling facilities from illegal parking, but they promote it themselves at the first opportunity. Even if they don’t like cycling, they should give people who choose to cycle a minimum but of respect.

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